Return to Konoha
by Y3llah
Summary: The Konoha's missing-nin has finally come home, but not in a way his friends hoped he would. Nevertheless, will Team 7 finally reunite? SasuSaku, Team 7. WARNING: May include spoilers.
1. Chaos

Two shinobi with a stretcher rushed into the hall of the Konoha hospital, looking for Tsunade-sama. Tsunade's voice could be heard all over the place, even though she had barely recovered when this happened. The wounded were constantly being brought in and she was the one to ensure that everyone was taken care of. It was her duty as a Hokage _and_ as a medical-nin. Finally, she managed to approach the two shinobi and take a look at the man in the stretcher. There was a frown on her face, and her lips quivered.

"Get him to the Emergency Room! Call Shizune! Hurry!"

Neji, who was in charge of finding the wounded one, approached her.

"Will he be alright, Tsunade-sama?"

"I don't know. I don't know..."

She wanted to head towards the emergency room herself, but she had yet to meet with Sakura's team. She was growing more and more impatient when she heard two voices crying out:

"Tsunade!"

The Council. Just what she needed.

"Where is he?"

"I suppose you're asking about Uzumaki Naruto?"

"He is not of concern to us. "

"How can you say that?!"

"He should be of concern to the medics. _We_ can do nothing to help him."

She wanted to say something, but even she thought that it was too inappropriate. She bit her lip instead and focused her thoughts on a bottle of sake hidden in her office.

"Where is he, Tsunade? Where is the missing-nin?!"

"Kakashi and Yamato are bringing him over here. "

"Here?! You do now he should be imprisoned?!"

"I know he should be given medical assistance first!"

"He's a CRIMINAL!"

"He SAVED Naruto's life! "

"The regulations say..."

"I don't care about regulations! I am aware of the damage he inflicted upon this village, but he saved Naruto! And he saved US!"

She was about to fly into a rage when luckily Shizune arrived:

"Tsunade-sama, I've been told you wanted to see me!"

"Shizune... go to the Emergency room. Naruto's life... his chakra vessels... his muscles... it's... Just make the necessary preparations! And be prepared to assist me."

"I understand!"

Tsunade was about to leave when the Elders stopped her.

"Tsunade... you should think about this more thoroughly..."

"_Please_! Please... let medical-nins help him. He cannot run away. Not in his condition."


	2. Patient

With a muffled groan, the patient opened his eyes. A throbbing headache had disturbed his sleep. He pressed the temples with his hand, but no matter how hard he did it, the pain just wouldn't go away.

"So… you're finally up", a woman said in a slightly sardonic voice.

It was not before then that he noticed that there was somebody else in the room.

"Who are you?"

"Godaime Hokage. Tsunade. You should know that – after all, this is not the first time I've treated you. "

The patient fidgeted when Tsunade mentioned her name. He looked around to see where he was. He couldn't tell for sure but it definitely didn't look like prison.

"Where am I?"

"You're in the Konoha Hospital. Don't worry, you'll be safe here."

"Why? What do you want?"

"To help you."

"Why?"

"I didn't quite expect to be interrogated for that." Tsunade sneered. "Don't worry, you _will_ be imprisoned eventually, but I believe you deserve to be helped first. After all, you did save someone very dear to me when nobody else could do a thing."

"My eyes..."

He paused for a second... It seemed like he completely ignored what she had just said. The throbbing in his temples bothered him, but at least the pain diminished. He lifted his brow towards her.

"How is he?

"Who?"

"Naruto."

"He's alive."

"Hn. Will he recover soon?"

"I don't know yet. He's been given first aid, but, unfortunately, we have to wait for his seal to stabilize before we can try anything."

"So, shouldn't you be helping him instead of chatting here with me? ", the patient asked her, impertinent as always.

"Uchiha Sasuke!! Don't you dare talk to me like that! You may think we owe you, but you owe this village much more! Do _not_ push your limits!"

Sasuke didn't say anything to that. Tsunade kept staring at him, but still, there was no response whatsoever. Finally, she was the first one to speak.

"I guess an apology is still too much to ask of you."

Sasuke tried to lift himself, but he grunted through his teeth instead. He grabbed his stomach and lay back on the bed. Tsunade sighed and continued in a softer voice.

"Your wound is still too fresh for you to be making such moves. You are lucky to be alive, Sasuke. Learn to appreciate it."

Sasuke stared at the ceiling lying motionlessly, his face as grim as ever. Tsunade wondered what was it that made Naruto hold on to him so badly. He just had his life saved and he couldn't even say "thank you".

"I have to go now. After all, you're right. _Your_ life is not endangered... My apprentice will be here shortly to take care of that wound. Goodbye, Sasuke."

Sasuke replied nothing and Tsunade left the room.

The next patient she was supposed to visit was Naruto. She headed towards his room, wondering how much more she could take. She felt weary, drained... the last thing she needed was a brat talking down to her. She slowly opened the door and found her apprentice sitting next to Naruto. Sakura was holding his hand close to her cheek, and her eyes were fixed on his face.

"Has there been any changes?"

"No. Nothing... " Sakura replied shortly.

"You should go get some rest."

"I am fine, shishou. You shouldn't worry about me."

Tsunade moved to the other side of the bed. She pressed her palm against Naruto's forehead. Most of it was covered in bandage, but parts of the skin that were revealed showed that he still had a fever. He still fought Kyuubi.

"Shishou, how is… you know?"

Tsunade lowered her head, choosing her words carefully. Sakura already had enough to cope with.

"Apart from being as impolite as usual, it seems that he is a bit disoriented. But that's not surprising considering the blood loss he suffered. As for the wound, I think he will recover soon enough… with proper therapy, of course."

Tsunade looked at her apprentice straight in the eyes. She knew she could trust Sakura, but she wanted to remove even a slightest hint of doubt.

"Tell me, Sakura, are you sure you can do it?"

"Don't worry, shishou. I'm a medic and he's a patient that needs my help. That is all there is to it."


	3. Apprentice

Sasuke gazed at the light that was coming from a window. He could not comfortably lie still even though he felt exhausted. _Tap-tap…_ someone's footsteps were approaching the door. It was probably the apprentice Tsunade was talking about. He wondered if it was anybody he knew, but he was not in a mood for neither company nor the small talk. He decided to pretend to be asleep, hoping that this apprentice would leave as soon as possible.

The person entered and silently approached him. He felt his sheet being slowly pulled down. He couldn't help feeling irritated by the closeness between them, but he decided to do nothing. All of a sudden, something warm penetrated through his abdomen. It soothed the pain, he couldn't deny that. He'd already got tired from it, and the feeling of drowsiness slowly consumed him. It seemed like Konoha really wanted to help, but he couldn't allow himself to let his guard down.

He heard someone turning a door knob, followed by a hoarse male voice.

"Excuse me, Sakura-san, you are wanted in the Emergency Room."

"I'll be right there, as soon as I am done with Uchiha-san's therapy." she whispered back as if she had not wanted to wake Sasuke up.

Sasuke winced. _Sakura… Of all the people_. He felt his sheet being pulled up and her hands gently tucking him in. The door was shut. She left.

Uchiha-san, eh? He pondered those two words... He wondered if she would have spoken to him at all, if he hadn't pretended to sleep. Did she blame him? Did she hate him? It didn't appear to be so, but then again, maybe she just showed due respect to her patient. _I love you so much... I would do anything for you… _the words resonated through his mind. What a fool. Hopefully, she finally realized some things.


	4. Team Mates

"Good afternoon, Uchiha-san. You are not sleeping today?"

"Sakura, is that really necessary?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

This was really getting on his nerves.

"Nothing."

She clearly kept him at the distance and he could've guessed the reason for it. His eyes gazed through the window, looking away from her – or at least, that was what Sakura thought. She approached him and began his treatment.

She observed his injuries but she just couldn't think of them as serious… regarding the circumstances. His stomach had been patched up rather efficiently, the loss of blood had been compensated, all he had to do now was to recover. And handle the pain. She remembered how she felt when one of Kyuubi's tails hit her arm. This must have been much worse... but comparing to Naruto... she felt a tear sliding down her face. _Naruto_... She strived to restrain herself. She was afraid that the arrogant bastard would think she was crying because of him. And she promised herself that her days of crying for him were over.

"OK, we are done for today. I hope you are feeling better."

"I do."

"Then I will see you tomorrow. Have a nice day."

"Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Naruto... how is he?" His eyes were still fixed on the window.

"He is still being monitored."

"Could you be more specific?"

"No. I am not supposed to talk about it. Try asking somebody else." She turned her back, ready to leave but Sasuke's voice stopped her from doing so.

"You know I've got no one else to ask. Nobody comes here but you."

That was true. Entrance was forbidden to everyone but her and Tsunade-sama. They wouldn't even let Kakashi-sensei in, and he hadn't seen him since Sasuke left Konoha. She sighed and bit her lip, just the way her shishou does. The words started gushing out of her.

"He is still in a coma. His chakra vessels suffered severe damage, his muscles are torn and almost all of his skin had been burnt… there are fractures, as well… We still don't know the state of his nervous system, but Tsunade-shishou thinks that there is a possibility that he... that he'll... remain paralyzed..."

At that moment she broke. Tears began welling up her eyes. She needed to share this with someone, but not here, not now, not with him! She leaned against the door. Her whole body trembled and she could barely stand. She wanted to run out of the room, but she couldn't afford anyone to see her like this. For days, she was walking around the hospital, talking to people, urging them to remain calm and not to lose their hopes. And now she was falling apart. But why? Why did she have to do it in front of him?

Sasuke listened to her sobs. He didn't know what to say, her crying made him feel uncomfortable.

"Sakura..."

She kept swallowing her tears. She didn't want to speak to him.

"Sakura..."

Nothing.

"Sakura!"

"WHAT?!"

"… I didn't mean to upset you."

"You upset me?! YOU?! But of course! The whole world revolves around you Uchihas, why would my crying be any different?!"

He was surprised. He didn't know this side of her.

"Sakura... just sit down and calm yourself."

"I can't. I am not supposed to get overly friendly with patients."

"I am not _a_ patient."

"Oh, right, you're an _Uchiha_!" she said and he couldn't help noticing the scorn in her voice.

"I am also your former team mate", he added calmly.

She glared at him. He couldn't believe what he had just said. Sasuke didn't look back.

"How dare _you_? _You_ of all people haven't got the slightest right to say something like that."

He sighed in frustration.

"Just sit down."

"Fuck you!!"

She forgot about her appearance, calm facade, the comfort for the patients. She stormed out of the room heading towards the nearest toilet. The two ANBU's at Sasuke's door entered his room to see the reason for Sakura-san's crying but all they saw was Sasuke lying in his bed, his back turned against them.

_You IDIOT! _Sakura was trying to get a grip on herself, but whenever she looked herself in the mirror, she would only start crying all over again. She needed someone to talk to. She wanted to speak to Tsunade – but her best friend needed her much more right now. Kakashi-sensei was probably sent on a mission to locate Madara. She would even talk to Sai, if she could. But the truth was that all the people she knew had been given assignments. Konoha's restoration was a top priority now and she couldn't allow herself to bother anyone with her problems. It was clear that she had to handle this one on her own.


	5. Guilt

Sakura walked down the hallway slowly. She would be more than happy if there was somebody else to replace her right now. However, the procedure for that was far too complicated since her patient wasn't an ordinary one. Besides, she told her shishou that she could rely on her and Sakura couldn't fail her trust. She should know better than just to burst out crying, no matter what the reason was. She smiled bitterly - the rule 25, will she ever learn it? Soon she was at the room number 17, two ANBU's in front of the door as usual.

"Good afternoon, Sakura-san."

"Good afternoon." She lowered her head, slightly embarrassed because of what happened yesterday.

She entered the room cautiously. Sasuke was sitting on his bed completely still, his eyes gazing through the window in the same way as they did yesterday.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Better. Though I cannot get up yet."

"You should not force yourself too much. The scar tissue is still too delicate, the wound could easily open again."

"I am aware of my limits."

She didn't say anything to that. She had decided to avoid any kind of argument as much as possible.

"So, shall I begin the therapy?"

"Sakura…" He hesitated. "I didn't plan on this to happen."

Sakura gritted her teeth. _Stay calm._ "You planned to attack Konoha."

"No, not Konoha. Only those that I hold responsible for the death of my clan."

She sighed. "Once I told you that your vengeance won't make anyone happy. In the end, so many innocent people suffered because of it. Please, just lie down."

Sasuke kept on sitting.

"I _didn't_ _want_ this to _happen_." he said this sternly, stressing every syllable. He wasn't irritated, he was infuriated.

Sakura took a step back. She wasn't sure what was going on. She was afraid of him, of what he might do. To be honest, she didn't know him anymore. No one did.

"I don't say you wanted it. But you caused it."

Since Sasuke said nothing to that, she decided to continue.

"The fact is if it weren't for you, Madara wouldn't have gotten to Naruto so easily."

Sasuke lowered his back onto the bed. He saved Naruto, that was true. But it was also true that he was the one to put him in danger in the first place.

"You're right. It is my fault. Just don't think I did it willingly."

Sakura approached Sasuke, focusing her chakra in her hands.

"Why would you care about what I think?"

"I just don't like when people misinterpret my actions. That's all."

"I'll interpret them the way I want to." She didn't want to argue. But she wouldn't back out of it either.

"Wouldn't you rather know the truth?"

_Stay calm__…_

"What truth?" She patiently waited for an answer. But she didn't get one.

_Damn!_

"That an alert was raised because you intruded the Council's quarters? That every available shinobi was busy chasing after you, while Madara was targeting Naruto?! "

"I helped Naruto, didn't I?"

She inhaled deeply. She wanted to hit him so hard across that emotionless face.

"Well, you had to. It's easier to control a Bijuu when it's still sealed inside the Jinchuuriki."

"Sakura, I'll say this one last time. I didn't want Naruto to get hurt."

"You can't even look me in the eyes when you say that!"

"That's because I can't."

"Why can't you?"

"Because I can't see your eyes, Sakura."

"What….?" Her voice was hushed and her brow frowned in surprise.

"I cannot see. I see colors and lights but I cannot see shapes. Everything is blurred to me." He lifted his head towards her face, as if he had wanted her to see that he was telling the truth. But why was he having this conversation with her in the first place? Indeed, why _would_ he bother with what she thinks?

Her voice murmured, "I didn't know you were… Since when?"

"Since I woke up in here."

None of them said anything else for the rest of the therapy.


	6. Recovery

The walls were up in flames. The heat was already scorching his skin and horrible screams could be heard from outside. He decided to make a run for the door, he could not stay there. _Amaterasu!_ … but nothing happened. The roof started to fall in. No time to think. He jumped through the window and, as he fell down, he felt heat wallowing in his stomach… He screamed in pain and then he felt someone's arms grab him from behind. His mind went blank.

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes. Everything was white… he knew the smell well. The Konoha hospital. He slightly squirmed in his bed when he saw there was someone standing beside him.

Sakura's strained face was looking over his stomach, her fingers curled in pain – not that Sasuke could see that, of course. She turned her face towards him.

"So you're finally up, Uchiha-san." She stepped aside, relieved.

"What happened?"

"You had a high fever and started getting delirious. I couldn't wake you up."

"Oh…"

"How do you feel now?" She swept the sweat from her face, her hands still aching a bit.

"Better." He turned himself towards her, but something fell over his eyes. "What…?"

"Wait. Let me get that." She smiled at the sight of his confused face. It just didn't fit his cool personality.

"It's only a wet cloth." She pressed her palm against his forehead. "And I think it's safe to say that that fever is gone." Sasuke quivered. He didn't expect her touch.

She observed the specks of blood on the bandage with a frown. She couldn't understand what made his wound bleed. _Was it something he did?_

She distractedly rubbed her hands. She had already used a significant ammount of chakra to bring his fever down. She also lost a focus of it for a couple of times - her chakra vessels had been strained for too long. The worst part of it was that she hadn't even started treating the wound. A wistful thought of somebody replacing her crossed her mind. She took a deep breath and decided to simply confront the pain and proceed with the treatment. She placed her palms over his stomach.

The room was filled with silence. She would shuffle her feet from time to time and he would do nothing but lie still. The uneasiness of yesterday's conversation still lingered in the room.

She felt she should say something. His empty look hid his thoughts. Not that his eyes ever revealed much. She was examining his face carefully. Bruises, scratches and a pair of the blackest eyes she had ever seen.

"Uchiha… " She bit her lip.

"Sasuke-kun… " He looked up and she looked away from him. "I am sorry about yesterday."

"No need to appologize."

"That wasn't very professional of me. "

"I've seen you do worse."

Sakura's brow furrowed. _What was that supposed to mean?!_ She didn't know how to answer that remark, but no. No more outbursts!

Sasuke noticed that Sakura wouldn't speak to him anymore. A twinge of unease started growing inside him. And maybe something even more than that.

"Sakura, I didn't mean it like that. It was supposed to be a joke. "

She smiled in response. She didn't actually believe his words, but it made it possible for her to pretend that everything was alright.

"Well, good to know. I was just getting worried about my medical skills, if they did any good at all."

"Well… they did."

What Sasuke actually meant was that he longed for her visits. The pain would get excruciating at times, and he knew that after she had visited him, he could count on several hours to rest. She would manage to alleviate the pain in a matter of minutes, and, in a way, he honestly admired the skill she had gained during these past years. But it was hard for Sasuke to say something like that.

"Sasuke-kun… How's your eyesight?"

"The same."

"No improvement at all…?"

"No."

_How could he remain so calm?_

"Then I guess I should tell Tsunade-sama about it as soon as possible."

"I thought you'd say that."

"She might be able to help you."

"I doubt it."

"Well, we don't know that yet, do we?"

Sasuke's face turned grim again. She knew that seeing him make jokes was too good to be true.

She strode down the hallway, lost in her thoughts. She couldn't help wondering how they could have missed something as serious as that. Tsunade-sama examined him personally. She probably didn't have enough time to do it thoroughly – regarding the circumstances. And she had just recovered recently, all of this was probably too much for her. But what about herself? What kind of a medical-nin was she?! She felt pangs of guilt piercing through her stomach. She was ashamed for taking his wounds so lightly and missing something as important as that. She should've known better. But it wasn't just that. All this time she didn't want to care about him. Caring about him never brought any good. She let her emotions interfere with her duty.

Finally, she came to the door of Naruto's room. She was prepared to tip-toe into the room when she heard:

"Baachan, he's here?! I gotta go see him!"

Sakura rushed into the room in disbelief. It couldn't be! She stood before the bed, her eyes wide open.

"Sakura-chan, have you seen him already?! How is he???"

But before he could continue with his questions, he felt Sakura's arms clasped around his neck.

"Naruto! You're awake!"

She sobbed on his shoulder and he was so puzzled he couldn't even move.

"Why, of course, Sakura-chan! You haven't really thought that this little thing would get to me, dattebayo?" But she wouldn't let him go.

"Sakura-chan, please, don't cry…"

She moved away from him, wiping her tears with the back of her palm.

"Silly, I am crying because I am happy", she said with a smile radiating across her face.

Tsunade stood in the corner of the room observing the two of her favourite shinobi. She could actually feel the burden falling off her chest.

"Well, aren't you two a sight for sore eyes?"

"Baachan, let's go!" Naruto was already sitting on the edge of his bed. "I want to see Sasuke!"

"Naruto, please… we can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Only Sakura and I can enter his room. He is a ranked criminal. He's not allowed to have any visits."

"But, baachan, it's Sasuke!"

"Naruto, no! Besides, you've just awoken and your body is far from healed. Kyuubi or no Kyuubi, you should not exert yourself too much."

"Fine", he scoffed.

"I will leave the two of you alone, now. I've got some business to attend to and I'm sure you have some catching up to do."

"Actually, Tsunade-shishou, may I come with you? There are some reports I need you to sign as soon as possible."

"Sure, why not?"

"Naruto, I'll be right back, I promise."

"Sure, it's not like I'm going anywhere." He scratched the back of his head and grinned, just like he always did when he tried to act light-hearted. And although she found it irritating at first, Sakura learnt to appreciate this little gesture of his over the years.

Tsunade and Sakura walked to Tsunade's office in silence.

Sakura closed the door while Tsunade reached out for the bottle of sake hidden in the back of her desk. She sprawled out on the chair, opened the bottle in her hand, and lifted her eyes towards Sakura.

"So, what did you _really_ want to talk to me about?"

"Shishou… it's Sasuke…"

"I assumed you'd say that." She sighed. "And just when I thought I'll finally be able to get some rest."


	7. Mangekyo

"It seems that Mangekyo Sharingan drains significant amounts of chakra through eye nerves." Tsunade separated his eyelids and pointed a little flashlight towards his eye.

"If I remember correctly, its users can use genjutsu that attacks simultaneously all of the receptors in the opponent's body and ninjutsu that bends space and time dimensions to their liking. However, you don't quite fit the pattern, do you? " She moved her hand from his face and got up. "You're quite a dangerous young man, Uchiha Sasuke. No wonder the Council wanted you imprisoned straight away."

"I know all that. I just don't see the point you're getting at."

"Sasuke-kun!"

"It's alright, Sakura…" Sasuke was as rude as ever, but Tsunade decided not to hold it against him. At least, not now.

"Eye nerves are rather delicate and extended use of Mangekyo Sharingan may cause them to snap. I'm afraid that controlling Kyuubi could require such effort."

"I see. " He lowered his eyes trying not to show any signs of worry.

"Once torn, a nerve can never be healed. But luckily, you haven't reached that stage yet, otherwise you'd be completely blind."

Sasuke's eyes opened swiftly. He tried not to get himself carried away, but, deep down inside, he wanted to think that there was still something that could be done.

"What's the problem, then? "

"It seems that there had been extensive hemorrhage in your eyes. The blood created hematomas which are still pressing your eye nerves. That's why your vision is blurred. "

"Can it be helped? "

"Well, I believe that if we insert chakra into your eyes, we could dissolve the hematomas and gradually take them out. "

Sasuke said nothing to that. Tsunade thought for a second that maybe she should've explained this in more down-to-earth terms… but it seemed that he did understand her, only that he didn't like the sound of it.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Why am I in hospital?"

"What do you mean?"

"Shouldn't I have been imprisoned by now?"

"Well, your life was threatened and I insisted that we save you first."

"But this is not really a life-threatening situation, is it?"

"No, it isn't."

"So, even if you wanted to help me, you wouldn't be able to do so."

"That's right."

Sakura , who was carefully listening to their conversation, was shocked to hear this. All this time she was afraid they won't be _able_ to help him, but it never occurred to her that she might be the only one who actually _wanted_ to help.

"Well, since I'm already here", Tsunade added, "I could also look at that wound. I heard there were some problems today. Sakura, could you unwrap the bandage?"

"Of course. Sasuke-kun… could you just move your arms a little?"

Tsunade's thoughts wandered off. She knew it was cruel to give him hope and then step on it just like that, but the Council would never agree to it. There was no way she could justify the operation before them or before Danzo. And after all, she wasn't sure herself if he should be helped. It was still unclear whose side he was on.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun…I hope that didn't hurt you."

"No, it's okay."

It was only then that Tsunade looked at the two of them. Sakura's cheeks were burning with crimson blush and a cheeky grin crossed Tsunade's face. "_Sakura… she has grown so much and yet there are still things about life for her to find out. Well, I guess that's an advantage of being Jiraiya's student rather than mine_ ", she thought to herself and smiled.

"Let me see. Well, you'll have a nasty scar, that's for sure. Otherwise, it seems like your wound will heal completely in a day or two. Faster than I expected." She cast an appreciative glance towards Sakura.

"Fine", Sasuke replied with a flat voice.

"I have to go now, Sakura, you just change the bandage."

"All right, shishou."

Tsunade turned towards Sasuke and said in a compassionate tone, "Sasuke…don't lose your hopes. The important thing is that all is not lost." She headed towards the door and just before she went outside, she added, "By the way… if I were you, I'd at least say thank you." And then she left.

Sasuke remained silent. He didn't mean to be disrespectful, but all the angst and confusion that were building inside him left him at a loss for words. Luckily, Tsunade had understood this very well.

"Sasuke-kun, you don't mind me…?"

"Sure", he absently moved his arms.

She was wrapping up his wound, still fighting the bewilderment caused by their closeness. She wasn't happy to see herself react this way, but it's not like she was surprised. She felt sorry for him, for ever bringing the whole thing up. She should've thought about it more carefully. But in spite of all the things that had happened, she just couldn't think of him as nothing more than a plain criminal.

"Sakura…"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"Sasuke-kun, you don't have to do that…"

"No. Thank you. For everything" , he lifted his eyes towards her. He didn't do it because Tsunade said so. He really meant what he said.

"Well… you're welcome… But it's not just me. Your recovery abilities have quite improved, too." _Still refusing to acknowledge herself…_ a thought crossed his mind while he listened to her.

"Of course, they're still not as surprising as Naruto's quick recovery…"

"Naruto woke up?" Sasuke asked, maybe with more enthusiasm than he actually wanted to show.

"Oh, yes! This morning. He is still sleeping most of the time, but at least I got a chance to talk to him. How he manages to keep that grin on his face despite all the pain is beyond me..." She noticed how her voice softened and she snapped out of it.

"I am sorry… I am probably tiring you with all of this. "

"No... it's okay. I was wondering how "dobe" was doing…"

She chuckled and shook her head. For a split second, she felt as if it had been only yesterday that Naruto and Sasuke were constantly fighting each other, putting her in between. And she reluctantly remembered how she was almost always leaning towards Sasuke's side.

"I have to go now. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sakura… tell him I said hi."

"I will," she looked at him, and her eyes filled with warmth.


	8. With a little help from your friends

He spent all night thinking about what Tsunade had said. He had not tried to use Sharingan before – he didn't need to – but last night he could clearly see two chakras in front of the door. The guards', probably. He also noticed a strange net infused with chakra strings, all across the room's walls. Apparently, they didn't think that the two ANBU's were enough to keep him there. But the important thing was that he could still use Sharingan. On the other hand, what about Mangekyo? He couldn't test it without making any commotion – and he definitely wanted to avoid that.

He wondered what Madara was doing right now… How would _he_ react the next time they meet? It's been a month since Taka was dismissed… After all, there was no reason for them to keep on fighting, the team met their goal. But were they safe now, after all that had happened? He heard a door being opened and closed. That could only be…

"Sasuke-kun, why are you not in bed?"

"Is it forbidden to get up?" Sasuke stood by the window not making a slightest move. His gaze was lost in the daylight.

"No, but you shouldn't even be up yet, let alone… How long have you been standing there?"

"Which side of Konoha is this room facing?", he asked not bothering to answer her question.

"The Hokage monument."

Sakura fidgeted as she waited for him to turn around, but his posture revealed no attention of him doing so.

"Sasuke-kun, I have other patients to attend to… if you don't mind…"

"Sure…" he replied and lied down without further objection.

She was gathering chakra in her hands when he asked her in a somewhat detached tone: " Has anything changed here?"

"Well… a lot of things have. Konoha has been through a lot lately..." Just thinking about it made her heart sting. She wondered if these changes would ever stop. First Pain. Then Madara. Just like Orochimaru back then, they planted their seeds of destruction and calmly watched them sprout. Mercilessly stomping over everything that Konoha stood for.

"Sasuke-kun… did you ever miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"Konoha. After all, it is your home."

"I don't think of it as my home anymore."

A barely audible sigh escaped Sakura's lips. She feared the true meaning behind Sasuke's words… He seemed so distant, and just when she thought she was finally getting through him... She couldn't understand what he thought or felt.

"Well, I am done for today, Sasuke-kun. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sakura…"

"Yes?"

"Could you stay a little longer?" Her eyes widened. _Did he really say that?_

"Why?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Is there something you need?" she tried not to sound too harsh, yet again, she didn't want to be overwhelmed with her emotions so easily.

"No."

_No, he didn't need anything. He never really needed anyone. He was used to being alone. But it's different when you're __practically blind, tied to a room, with nothing but your thoughts to keep you company._

"No, I don't. I just wanted to ask if there is any news about Naruto."

She replied with a smile, barely hiding the tad of disappointment she felt.

"He asked about you."

"Oh? Asked what?"

"Well, he wanted to come here last night, and got in a row with Tsunade-sama. I think you can imagine him yourself…" Sakura started impersonating Naruto, making her voice sound much more rasping than usual. "Tsunade-baachan!!! I have to see him! I just want to thank him, and see how he's doing! It won't be even a whole minute, dattebayoooo!"

Her voice broke at that "ooo" sound and she coughed to clear her throat. She used the opportunity to cast a glance at Sasuke to see his reaction, if she should continue with this or not… Sasuke's eyes were closed, but she could clearly see there was a grin on his face, so she continued.

"Eventually, he made a clone and tried to sneak out. But what he didn't know was that Tsunade-sama was still in front of his room. In the end, she hit him with such a force that he would probably be recovering for another two weeks, if it had really been him, of course."

Sasuke chuckled. "Dobe… I guess that means he won't stay paralyzed?"

"No, he won't… "

"Come to think of it, I did hear some commotion last night. Is his room near here?"

"Well, it's directly above yours, so I wouldn't be surprised if you see him at your window in a couple of days."

"I doubt I'd still be here by then…"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry. I don't plan to escape or anything. It's just that I can't be here forever."

"I guess you're right…"

**************************************************************************

The night was slowly closing in on Konoha. The sky broke out in its clarity as the crimson colors burned in the west. Tsunade frowned at the sight. She breathed in the last of the long day, but her nerves were far too stretched to be calmed so easily.

_Knock-knock._

"Come in."

"Tsunade-shisou, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Sakura. I wanted to talk to you…. I thought you should be the first to know."

"What do you mean, shisou? What happened?"

"I've sent ANBU's to officially arrest him."

"Arrest Sasuke?!"

"Yes."

"But, shisou, he has not fully recovered yet!"

"I know, Sakura, but we cannot wait for him to fully recover, can we?"

Sakura clenched her fists in response. She would never show disrespect to Tsunade, but she was furious. She thought that she should've consulted her, too. After all, Sasuke was under _her_ supervision.

"Sakura, is something wrong?"

"No… It's just… " She turned away her head. "I think he shouldn't be treated as nothing more than a mere criminal."

"And I thought you would treat him as nothing more than just a patient…" Tsunade looked at her student hoping she would understand. "Sakura, I am not the only one who makes decisions in this village."

_Knock-knock._

"Yes?"

"Hokage-sama", an ANBU entered her office, "Uchiha Sasuke… is not in his room."

"What do you mean?!"

"We removed the seal and entered the room, but we found no one, we only saw…

"Sakura!" Tsunade yelled.

But before the ANBU could finish his report, Sakura already ran down the halls of the hospital. The thumping of her heart outcried all of her thoughts. Fear and disbelief were confronted in her, and even though she heard other shinobi asking her to stop, she just couldn't.

She ran to the room and opened the door with a slam. The shinobi finally caught up with her.

"Sakura-san, what's wrong?"

"Naruto… is gone."


	9. Missing

Her body was leaned against the window and her gaze slid down Konoha's streets … It was always such a beautiful view from the Hokage tower. The night set down, and the lamps shimmered throughout the village wrapped in darkness. The moon shone bright, chilling her blood. It is said that Bijuus are strongest on the nights of full moon.

"Naruto… where are you?"

They asked her to wait in the hall, and she was glad for it, she needed time to get a grip on herself. Talking to Morino Ibiki was never easy… especially talking to him alone, in the interrogation room. _What information did you reveal? I don't know… We never talked much. I told him some things about Naruto… What things? Well, how he wanted to see him and thank him for saving him… Have you mentioned Naruto's current health? Yes. In what detail? I mentioned... his overall physical condition… that he woke up, but that he was still in pain and slept most of the time. So, what you actually said was that his condition wasn't critical but that he still wasn't able to defend himself?!_ … Sakura kneeled by the window, burying her throbbing head in her lap.

Meanwhile, Ibiki was reporting the results of interrogation to Hokage-sama and the Council.

"Haruno Sakura confessed that she had revealed significant information to the escaped prisoner. These information include details on Uzumaki Naruto's health condition and his exact whereabouts. Also, it is likely that the prisoner managed to realize when Uzumaki Naruto would be alone in his room based on their conversation. She also revealed some minor facts about Konoha and the hospital's location that could or could not have played a role in his escape. However, most likely her collaboration was unintentional. "

"Thank you, Ibiki. You may leave now."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Ibiki left the room, leaving the three of them alone.

"Tsunade, you trusted her more than you were allowed to. She is your apprentice, but she was far too much involved emotionally – _what_ were you thinking?"

"I am aware of it, Koharu-sama."

Koharu and Homura stood silently waiting for Tsunade's decision on the matter. Tsunade sat in her chair distractedly rubbing her nose, then her brow, and then her temple with her index finger. She should've known better. Both her and Sakura should've known better.

"Tsunade", Homura said, "Your own sense of responsibility is being questioned here. That girl should be arrested for helping Uchiha Sasuke escape and kidnap Konoha's Jinchuuriki. Either that, or you should consider resigning your post as a Hokage."

"Homura!", Koharu was surprised herself to hear him say that. "Tsunade's off-hand resignation would directly threaten the stability of the village, you can't be serious about it?!"

Tsunade finally spoke. Her voice grew rather weary. "That is all he is to you…? Nothing but a Jinchuuriki…"

"Tsunade…"

"I know what I have to do… " She raised her voice. "Haruno Sakura, you may come in now!"

The door opened timidly and Sakura stepped forward reluctantly.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Haruno Sakura", Tsunade stood up, but her eyes remained fixed on the floor, "from this moment on, you are suspended from the duty of a medical-nin. You are not allowed to leave the village without my personal authorization. If you make any such movement, for whatever reason, you will be considered a missing-nin. You may go now."

Tsunade looked at Sakura and tears in her eyes flickered. The Councilors stood on the side, apparently satisfied with this decision. Sakura's heart pounded and there was a lump in her throat which she barely overcame to say:

"I understand."


	10. Confrontation

"What the heck is going on?! Where are we?!"

"Calm down, Naruto."

Darkness was spreading around them as they stood on white, simply shaped objects. Naruto looked around, but he could make nothing logical out of it. It felt like a complete nowhere. Looking over Sasuke's shoulder, he saw the familiar orange mask ominously glaring at Sasuke and him.

"You again?! WHAT do you…?!"

"Naruto!" Sasuke's arm quickly stretched out and held him back. "Stay there."

"But, Sasuke…" However, instead of arguing, Naruto let a loud hiss out of his mouth. A sharp pain shot through his left leg. He remembered the fracture and frowned.

"Stay there." Sasuke repeated.

"Now, Sasuke, I didn't expect this, I must say. Though, when I think about it…. maybe I did… I am not so sure myself, you see?"

Madara strolled from side to side, cackling and stressing his words with gestures he made. He was quite keen on goofing around, though few people would actually believe him that.

"Cut it out, Madara."

"Oh, oh… I understand." He stopped and triumphantly snapped his fingers. "You must be angry with me for letting Konoha capture you. My, my, I would get you out of there eventually, if you had only been patient enough."

"No… No, you wouldn't."

"Oh, is that it? You want to bargain? My, my, my! You wanna blackmail me with that Nine-Tails overthere?"

"WHY YOU…!"

"Naruto!" Sasuke scowled at him "Not now." He lifted his glowering eyes towards Madara, "Is that why you convinced me to attack the Councilors, eh, Madara? You _hoped_ I would get caught?"

"Now, Sasuke-kun, why would I want to do that?", he placed his hands on his hips, acting all insulted.

"Because you knew I would never let you have Naruto."

_Sasuke_… The frown on Naruto's face suddenly became much softer.

"Ah, yes… you and your silly little bonds… Pity. I would've made you grand, you know? But I guess it's a little too late for that."

"Sasuke… where are we…?" Naruto finally dared to ask.

"It's Madara's teleportation technique. It helps him create a time and space void through his own chakra."

A veil of silence surrounded them. The two Uchihas glared at each other, as Sasuke kept on shielding Naruto with his own body. The first thing to break the tension was Naruto's hesitant question.

"Erm… what was that again?"

Even though he didn't really feel like smiling, a grin managed to escape Sasuke's lips. "Right…" after thinking about it, he replied, still not losing Madara out of his sight. "It's like a prison that is based solely on your chakra."

"Oh. So, everything around us is basically his chakra?"

"Exactly."

"And all we have to do is disrupt it?"

"Easier said than done."

"Quit your yapping!" Madara roared. In a moment, a large number of black spikes pierced the space and rushed towards Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto winced and froze on the spot. But when he opened his eyes, the only thing he saw was an ephemeral cloak winding around both him and his friend.

"Susanoo? In a situation like this? Not bad… But you cannot keep it there forever." Madara was playing on his own terms and he knew the two of them would try to fight him back. _But there was no way they could win_.

Naruto looked at Madara first, and then, at Sasuke. Neither him nor Sasuke were actually capable of fighting that orange-headed freak, at least not in their current condition, so the only solution would be their escape. But how? It was then that the most unpredictable ninja in the world actually thought of something.

"Sasuke, could you buy us some time?"

"Why?"

"I think I have a plan."

*******

Sakura curled up in her bed. It's been hours since Naruto and Sasuke disappeared and nobody could find any clues to track them down. As if they had disappeared from the face of the earth. Her head felt heavy and her heart was mercilessly tormented with worry, guilt, anger and disappointment. But most of all, with worry.

"Sakura, I brought you some tea," said a middle-aged woman that had just entered her room.

"Just leave it on the table."

The woman put down the cup and sat on the side of the bed. The strands of her pink hair were grayed out and her warm green eyes were filled with concern.

"You should eat something, honey."

"I am not hungry."

They were having this same dialogue ever since last night…

"How are you feeling?"

But Sakura couldn't reply to that. She wanted to say "fine", but she knew her mother wouldn't believe her.

"Honey, please, don't keep it in… Just say something. I will try to understand.

"I just feel… empty, mom."

The woman didn't know what to say so she just stroked Sakura's hair. She wanted to help her so hard, but her daughter was determent in fighting her battles alone. She would still shiver whenever she remembered the previous night when Sakura's friends brought her home. She was told Sakura had simply collapsed to the floor – probably because of a nervous breakdown. The doctors ordered her to get some rest and avoid any kind of stress, but her little cherry blossom did nothing else, but wither from all the angst and bitterness.


	11. Escape

It was a rather chilling morning. The horizon was covered in haze, and grass was still wet with raindrops from the previous night. Sakura roamed the edge of the woods, inhaling the whiff of the fresh air. A breeze played around with the leaves above her head. Dry branches creaked under her feet. The only sound she could hear was chirping of the birds.

Three days passed and there were still no news.

She wasn't sure herself what she did there. The only reason she went outside was to please her mother. She barely ate or slept, the poor woman probably thought that going out and talking to people would help her cheer up. However, it was the last thing Sakura needed. All those people either kept asking her how she was doing or they were trying to convince her that everything would turn out fine. _How silly, actually..._she thought. _Asking me what they already know and convincing me about the things they don't know themselves._ The truth was she would be a lot better if she could get away from it all. She would give her life for a chance to help, but she was just pushed aside and told to wait for the news.

She lifted her gaze and realized she was standing in front of the training grounds; or at least what was left of them. A huge hole gaped in the place that marked the childhood of every single shinobi and kunoichi of Konoha. The thoughts of fight that happened there just recently clenched her from within. Naruto and Madara... it felt like a distant past, even though it happened no more than two weeks ago. Images of Kyuubi's tails waving above their heads, the roars that would freeze your blood, and then Sasuke and Naruto taking their battle deep into the forest, away from Konoha. She could still smell the charring on tree trunks. Her eyes looked over the vast front and there, on the outskirts, she noticed that something still rose above the ground.

She sped up towards it, and when she finally reached it, she realized that by some miracle the wooden post sustained the attack. The very post that Naruto was tied up to four years ago. Where they all became Genins. Where Team 7 was created. She felt tears lurking to come out, but instead, she leaned against the post and took deep breaths. _Crying's not helping anyone. Snap out of it! _But the anguish was becoming more and more intolerable. She curled her fingers into a fist and hit the post. But once wasn't enough. She hit it again and again and again – she decided to get it all out without crying, without screaming, without chakra molding. She would take it all out on that piece of wood...

„Nah, then, take it easy now. That place is of historical importance."

Sakura's fist froze in the air as she swiftly turned around.

„Kakashi-sensei!"

„I wouldn't like to miss the opportunity of telling Konoha's kids where the future Hokage was tied up and why," he added with his eyes curved and revealing a smile beneath the dark mask.

„Yes, the next Hokage..." Sakura lowered her head and wistfully looked at the marks that were left by her fist.

„Also" Kakashi added, „you won't be able to do much healing when your palms are all swollen and aching."

She placed her left palm over the bleeding knuckles, „It's okay. After all, I'm the only person I can treat at the moment, so I might as well keep myself busy."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama told me what happened. That's why I came to talk to you."

"There's not really much to talk about."

"OK. If you say so. I just hope you don't blame yourself."

"I _am_ the one to blame." Sakura opposed her sensei's remark. "Willingly or not, I _was_ Sasuke's accomplice."

"We don't even know if Sasuke was the one to kidnap Naruto." Kakashi continued in the same laid-back tone, unaffected by Sakura's protests. "Who knows? Maybe you were just the person who saved the two of them."

"What do you mean?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that it was rather strange that Naruto was overwhelmed by Kyuubi so easily?"

"I never thought about it... I just assumed he lost control over his emotions."

"Maybe. But it's Naruto. He's been through a lot by now and he would know how to control himself. I think the one to spur the Kyuubi out was Madara. The fact is if it weren't for Sasuke..."

Sakura turned away her head. "Sensei, that still doesn't justify his attack on Konoha… and his attempt to kill the Councilors…"

"Yes… But you should not focus so much on the attempts. It's the doings that really count."

* * *

"You know you cannot keep your Susanoo forever…"

_Come on, Naruto… _

The two Uchihas were still facing each other, one patiently waiting for an opportunity to attack, the other cursing every single cell that caused the horrifying pain in his body.

"Tsk, tsk… that's a rather pitiful Susanoo, you know? Nothing like Itachi's, if I may add…"

"Don't you dare mention my brother's name!"

"The brother YOU killed?" Madara chuckled. "You really are a brat, aren't you, Sasuke?"

But instead of continuing to provoke Sasuke into a fight, Madara's trembling body suddenly sank into the floor. He clasped his arms over his chest and groaned in pain.

The darkness started to quiver and the space around them began to reverberate. The white objects began to dissolve into whirling spirals. Sasuke looked around in amazement! _Naruto, what did you do?_

"Success, dattebayo!" Naruto sprang up and jumped, not worrying the least about his leg.

The thoughts quickly flashed through Sasuke's mind. _Each of these must be a portal to a different space-time dimension. That's how he moves through it. And it seems that he won't be able to hold down this jutsu much longer…_

"YOU IMPUDENT BRATS! I'll crush you both, if it's the last thing I do!"

"Sasuke, we have to get out of here. Fast!"

"Wait, we can't just jump out anywhere. Who knows where will we…?"

"No time to think, teme!!!" Naruto pulled him by his shirt and Sasuke's Sussanoo disintegrated in a moment. Sasuke was already on the edge of his chakra. As Naruto was about to jump in, he looked at Sasuke's face. His cheeks were soaked with streaks of blood.

"NOW!" Madara roared!

"Naruto, watch out!!"


	12. Saved

"Maybe, sensei," Sakura continued, "but I don't know whom to trust anymore. I don't even trust myself."

"Well, it was high time you learned that..." Kakashi's face grinned again.

"A ninja must see underneath the underneath, is that it?"

"Exactly."

"Sakuraaa!!! Kakashi-senseeei!!!" , a female voice called out to them. Kakashi and Sakura turned around and saw a slender blond girl running towards them.

"Ino?" Sakura recognized her childhood friend, rival and now a colleague, and her heart started beating rapidly. Something was wrong. In a few moments, Ino was standing in front of them, leaned against her knees trying to catch her breath. It seemed she had been running for some time now.

"Ay, Sakura! I've been looking for you all over the place!"

"Why? What happened?!" Sakura barely asked. Kakashi said nothing. He simply waited for Ino to speak.

"Naruto… Naruto returned!!!"

"WHAT?!"

"He returned! He's at the hospital right now, with Tsunade-sama!"

"Is he okay?!" Sakura's body began to tremble with both fear and excitement.

"Okay, and noisy as ever!" Ino smiled and straightened up. "Come on, let's go. I'll fill you in on the way to the hospital."

"Where did you find him?" Kakashi finally decided to join in the conversation as the three of them rushed towards the center of Konoha.

"He just showed up in his room, as if nothing had happened. The only strange thing was that he was in his Sage Mode."

"He fought someone?"

"Apparently. But we don't know what happened. Ever since we found him he kept asking about Sasuke."

"What about Sasuke?"

"Well, we know nothing about him. Naruto was all alone when we found him."

* * *

Finally, the three of them reached the hospital. Sakura felt slightly nauseous – she was very nervous about seeing Naruto, coming back to the hospital and facing Tsunade. She allowed Ino to enter first, as she patiently waited at the door.

"Tsunade-sama, they're here."

"Oh, then tell them to come in."

"Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei!"

Sakura was relieved to see that her friend was fine, and almost the same as she had last seen him. Tsunade was sitting on the chair next to his bed and she lifted her eyes towards the two visitors .

"You don't mind if we continue our conversation?"

"No, of course not." Kakashi replied.

Sakura timidly looked at her shishou and saw a warm smile radiating from the woman's eyes.

"Anyways, we've just started talking about what happened. It was rather hard to calm him down."

"But, obaachan, we have to help him!!"

"I thought we agreed that we need to know what happened first."

"OK…" He sighed and rolled his eyes. " So, I was lying here thinking about how I could ask Sakura-chan to bring me some ramen from Ichiraku's, without offending her of course… Since, I'm kinda short on money, and Sakura-chan _is_ a girl and you're not supposed to ask girls…"

"Naruto…" Tsunade interrupted him. Her eyes were saying _we don't need to know that much_.

"Right. Sorry… So, I was lying here when I saw a whirl in front of me and then that Madara freak showed up. I tried to get up and confront him, but he grabbed me by my arm before I realized what happened. Then, I heard the chirping noise and somebody broke through the floor next to us. It was Sasuke. Madara started sucking me into that whirl of his and Sasuke managed to follow us. The next thing I know is that we were in that chakra room..."

"Chakra room?"

"Oh, you know! That Madara's jutsu, when he sucks you in and takes you to that thing…"

"Oh, you mean bending time and space dimensions?" Sakura jumped in to help.

"How do you _all_ know that, dattebayooo?!!"Naruto whined loudly. He would still get frustrated when other people easily understood the stuff he really had hard time to grasp.

"It's okay, Naruto. Continue." Tsunade said.

"So, we were in that chakra _room_ ," Naruto squinted at Sakura to see if she'd interrupt him again. She didn't."… and I entered Sage Mode while he protected me with his Susanoo. And because Sage Mode relies on the chakra of the surroundings…"

"…you sucked up Madara's own chakra and dismantled his jutsu?!"

"Sakura-chan, that was the best part!!!"

"Sorry, Naruto…" She was really sorry for butting in like that. "But… it's just… it was a brilliant plan." She smiled at him.

"Hehehehe… Thanks."

"So, what happened next?"

"Well, I pulled him by the shirt and he looked awful. Really! It seems he was almost out of chakra. We were supposed to jump in a whirl together, but I just heard him say "Watch out!" and then he pushed me. When I turned around, there was no one here but me."

"So, you just came out through the same portal you were taken. You were really lucky to come out here, you know? Who knows where you might've ended up…?" Tsunade concluded as she slowly stood up, ready to leave the room. But, instead of saying anything to that, Naruto was looking out through the window, completely baffled.

"Naruto, what's wrong?"

"I know it was evening when Madara came here, but it seems that now it's morning…"

"Yes."

"How can that be? We were only in there for like half an hour! And it seems that _hours_ passed here!"

"Naruto… you were gone for three days…" Sakura said.

"THREE DAYS?! But how?!"

Sakura and Tsunade only looked at each other. It seems that the same thoughts passed through their minds, and both of them couldn't just let them go. They were too painful. Kakashi noticed the rising tension, and since it was early for Naruto to know what happened here (if he was supposed to know that ever), he decided to answer his question instead of them.

"Remember the time bending? Probably a day here is something like 10 minutes there… We don't know much about that technique. Well, so far, you and Sasuke are the only ones who got to see it and live…"

"Obaachan, then it means that we still have time!! If Madara spends another ten minutes with Sasuke, then we can have a whole day to find them, but we gotta go fast!"

"Naruto! Don't you see the condition you're in?! Have you looked at your leg?!"

"I don't care!"

"What about his leg, shishou?"

"Sage Mode protects the user from physical injuries. On the other hand, it worsens the injuries that are already there because it's harder for the body to maintain the chakra balance. If he stayed in Sage Mode a bit longer he could've lost his leg permanently."


End file.
